Unmade
by PinkROmantic
Summary: Link, an earnest Hero left untouched by the call of fate. Sheik, a Sheikah child taken and raised to serve the Yiga Clan. Garson, a lofty young man who is to inherit a dark destiny. This is the story of a reincarnation cycle in which the Royal Family is no more and no Princess Zelda exists to fight off the incoming dark clouds of fate. /Post-BotW/
1. Unbroken

_This is just a blatant cope-writing about what it means to be an adult. Please read & review if you'd like to encourage me to write some more._

Warnings:_ Graphic Depictions of Violence, Character Death, Referenced Child Abuse, Referenced Torture, Fantastic Racism._

Additional tags_: No Romance, Friends to Enemies, Coming of Age, Memory Loss._

* * *

_'Unmade'_

by PinkROmantic

* * *

**Chapter I. Unbroken.  
**

Blood poured down from her face and it wouldn't stop throbbing all around that new empty space, her bruised fingers trembled too much to cover the wound as her high-pitched voice tore through the silence. The room was filled with the scent of iron and burnt candles, red feet backed away all around her, she could feel their frightened or satisfied stares pinning on her.

"You should be thankful, I didn't pluck your good eye out."

The sinister cold voice of the Mistress ringing still in her ears, feather-light feet dragged close to the girl that writhed in pain, the woman's presence was like an oppressive warmth that devoured all noise and exuded death, like a ruthless lioness cornering a prey.

It all happened too fast. One second she was about to kneel for forgiveness, and to the next, long nails have ripped something from her face. Now she was struggling to breathe, to see, to comprehend, the world was spinning violently around her in the colors of ire and despair. She felt so nauseous, like she'd just throw up in the spot, the loss of blood and balance was quickly takings its toll on her.

"So? Are you all just gonna stand there or is anyone going to patch up dear little Sheik?" said the Mistress with the most mocking voice she could muster.

Somebody obviously hurried to drag her up, no gentleness was given as it wasn't required, her body, though smaller than most, somehow felt so heavy when lifted. Her hands were held and someone wrapped a thick cloth around her head to stop the bleeding. 'Deep breaths, deep breaths' was all that she could remember to endure the pain in cases like this, but she felt like she'd give in to the darkness any time

"In case that you have all forgotten, I'm less forgiving about mistakes than any of my ancestors. Stay in your lane as you are and we'll be spared of unnecessary drama... like this one." She hated how the Mistress spoke, how righteous and convinced she sounded every time she had all of them reunited in this room. And worst of all, she hated how the words worked anyway, how they encouraged them to act and become like her out of fear more than anything. "I should hope that next time any of you make a mistake like that, you are ready to lose another piece of your face, have I made myself clear?"

She didn't get to hear the rest of it, she passed out before being taken to the chambers.

* * *

His town started to call him a Hero when he first killed a man. He was only a child back then, and it was mostly by accident, the man just happened to be extremely dangerous and he happened to be wielding a very sharp pitchfork. But killing a bad man was all what it took for the his town to begin treating him differently.

The town of New Akkala was one of the smallest in the region, and it was still growing. After 'saving' them from that bandit, his father begun to take him on bigger hunt trips and patrols to have him prove his worth. It helped him to sharpen his aptitude with the bow, but he was eventually forced to learn how to wield a sword and a shield when lizalfos and bokoblins started to show up more on the western hills during times of harvest to assault and terrorize farmers. Hunt after hunt, everyone praised him and even when he didn't get to do as good as others, he was encouraged anyway.

One time when he was fourteen he managed to ambush and terminate an group of 10 invader bokoblins all by himself through explosives because he had to split from his friends that day. He suffered a concussion and burns after the attack, but people liked to omit that part when the story was retold every time.

By the time that he reached his twenties, he was a modestly renowned swordsman, a role model for the youth, a proud protector to New Akkala, worthy of the name Link. And it wasn't like 'Link' was an uncommon name, quite the opposite, as many people commemorated the Hero of Legend and liked to name their sons and daughters after him. For him those were some large boots to fill in, as his father was thoroughly convinced that he had to be the reincarnated Hero in the flesh.

"Son, there's no shame in what you are. You do everything you do in the name of all that is good, isn't that right?", his mother would tell him, knowing all too well how this business would weigh on him, in contrast with how his father would press him harder every time. He didn't really resent his father for this, he owed him for the fruits of his work, but after a long time, Link realized how little his father truly listened to him.

"He's just really hopeful, you see. Your father always had the illusion of living long enough to see the Hero of Legend rise again... I know he's projecting a little too much, but let him find comfort in seeing you get the glory he thinks you deserve" she would say, and Link understood. Didn't make the name any lighter, but he understood perfectly what it meant for his father. Everyone knew the tales, and young kids learned to want to be the Hero...nor him nor his father were the exception.

But with such grand dreams came also great disillusions.

He had been called a Hero, he saved people from dangers by killing things... so why didn't he feel like one?

People could be scholars, farmers, merchants, artists, scientists... but he was really just good at killing things. Being a Hero had to be more than that, right?

Sure, he managed to rid of monsters threatening the locals, and several times he's gotten hurt to protect people. But so did the other knights who joined him to fight. As strong as he was, he didn't do anything near as legendary or heroic like saving an entire kingdom from the clutches of evil. And deep inside, he knew that he wouldn't hesitate to jump into the task if the chance ever arose.

It was an itching he had for years, the feeling of emptiness, the lack of purpose that weighed on him as he realized how long he's waited for it to happen, as if the anticipation for cataclysm was a sort of second nature etched into him from birth. It wasn't as if he wanted something bad to happen, but for some reason he's always felt ready for that call.

He yearned for a familiar voice to call at him, to greet him like an old friend. There was a person that he's been waiting to meet, a person who'd give him a reason.

He may be the Hero, but if that was true, then where was the Princess?

Hyrule hadn't a monarchy for over 200 years. There was no need for princesses anymore. There was no need for a chosen hero anymore.

Wasn't that for the best?

* * *

Perhaps it was merely dumb luck, or maybe he became good, but fighting off those lizalfos thieves with what little he knew of magic proved to be useful. Granted, it only helped him to amplify his moving speed at the right time, so it took the reptile-like outlaws by surprise, striking them down with the dull-edged sword he carried. He successfully scared the rest of them away from his fellow merchant Beedle and the nameless musician that traveled close to them.

The good-natured Beedle was relieved and equally impressed "Never seen that kind of magic before, Garson, that was nuts!" but the younger merchant shrugged it off, insisting that he wasn't THAT great at magic anyway. He learned a few things before dropping out of college anyway, so he was glad that the magic could be worked around his own skills.

However, Beedle was right about never seeing this sort of enchantment. Common folk knew little about magic and what arts were taught normally, but it was expected that one could simply sense when dark arts were at play. The musician who didn't say anything after the altercation probably knew, but Garson decided to pay no mind.

"You shouldn't be using that sort of power to carelessly." said the musician with a cool voice. Garson sighed, trying to conceal his annoyance, just last night the musician was friendly enough to ask him about the merchant guild and who would be selling in New Akkala. "You could easily hurt yourself and others with that."

His past mentor scrutinized him about his interest in obscure magic, which was honestly fair given its unsavory history, but he knew that it had its vantages when used correctly. Of course, he later was questioned about his aptitude for magic and eventually felt so discouraged that he decided to return home... with a few mementos from college.

After learning as much as he could, he decided that it was time to develop his more natural talents and became a traveling merchant just like his uncle did. It's true that the job was fulfilling, but the true reason why he decided to do it was because he got to travel across the kingdom and learn many things. Even if he was admittedly more of a brawn than a brain, he still enjoyed new knowledge. In the past couple of years as a traveling merchant he learned more than he did in the three years spent at Hyrule's castletown.

When he arrived to New Akkala, he was taken aback with how big and pretty it got from the last time he visited since he was a child. The safety also seemed significantly improved, given the Harvest Festival ready to take place. The Hero's statue at the central square also looked restored, even more impressive than the one at Hyrule Castle. It wasn't that strange that people worshiped the legendary Hero, almost every town had a statue for him.

He didn't ponder too much on that when he started to present his goods on the market place, sitting down behind the mat where he put his merchandise. Even though he wouldn't stand out too much between the other sellers it always put a grin on his face when curious people asked him about the unusual wares.

Sometimes people were surprised to find out that most of the articles he sold were crafted by the moblin and bokoblin, it awakened a morbid curiosity that just compelled them to buy them. It wasn't correct to profit from people's morbidity towards those they considered monsters, but he needed to get that sweet revenue from somewhere.

After selling out most of his moblin-made cutlery, it came to his attention that a young man had been staring at his wares for quite a while, as if he was judging every single object on display with knowing eyes.

"Is there anything you'd like?" he asked politely. Striking blue eyes looked back at him with a little of embarrassment and quickly shook his head.

The man looked about his same age, if not younger. He was carrying a large bag already packed with vegetables and the sort, and behind his back there was a large wooden shield with a protruding sword hilt behind his shoulder. A guardian knight, maybe?

"Was it hard to get all this? It's all 'blin craft." The young knight's voice was a mix between apprehension and concern.

"I assume you've seen these before, right? But don't worry, I didn't have to fight them to get my wares. I travel north Death Mountain, where they are open to trade." he said with his classic matter-of-fact mug, but the other just furrowed his brow in doubt. _Typical._

"...You don't believe me, do you? I admit that it's a little hard, even risky at times to thread there, but some factions of them are actually pretty civil... specially to those who wear the merchant's guild badge."

"I suppose..."

"So, if you're still interested..." the young merchant shrugged, but the knight shook his head.

"No, I don't want to bother you anymore, sorry."

The blue eyed knight turned and walked away, not without glancing back with a pensive look.

The merchant sighed. _That was awkward_.

It was midday and he remembered that he needed to book himself at an inn. He didn't want to close early today, but if he didn't hurry up, he'd be forced to sleep outside, again.

Besides... there was something he wanted to check before night, as his gut wouldn't stop bugging him about it.

He looked again at the Hero's statue. It was funny. Upon closer examination, it looked a lot like that knight guy.

* * *

The flutist started its cheerful song and kids around the market seemed to come closer, especially the younger ones, all drawn like moths to a flame. Sheik observed this from afar, as her eyes looked back and forth among stands with so many colorful people. There were people from all ethnicities visiting, from Goron to Zora, Gerudo to Rito, the Harvest Festival in this town was renowned for celebrating bigger than most towns, except maybe in Hyrule castletown; and because of its historical site, it helped to garner plenty of visitors, traders included.

It was almost soothing to be in such a lively place, if it were not for the fact that she and her partner were unwelcome and on a task at hand. Speaking of whom, it seemed like she couldn't keep still for more than a minute; it was beginning to get annoying.

"What's on your mind? You've been pacing too much" Sheik muttered.

"We're running out of time and it'll be nightfall before we know it. Where's that damn merchant? Laeg told us that he was going to be here today." Ashei, Sheik's sole companion, had lost what little color she had left in her face, even though she could very well have a steely face, her body language betrayed her so easily.

For their mission, they were meant to get into town to find a certain merchant for a particular object supposedly in his possession... It was in these sort of tasks in which they were made to dress up like civilians to bypass local security, and since it was a festive time, it was more than a perfect opportunity to blend in with the common folk. Ashei was given a white tunic with worn red pants whereas Sheik donned a sky-blue sash over a grey tunic with brown pants, she pulled her white bangs over the left side of her face to cover the obvious eye-patch. No matter where you went, strangers would always stare at one-eyed people, so it was better to keep people's gaze averted elsewhere.

"If you keep showing nervousness you're just going to give yourself away. Perhaps the man is at one of the inns already."

"He better be. Even if we succeed at finding him, Mistress Melana will reprimand us for not reporting back early."

Sheik repressed a chill at the thought, and nodded.

"Right. Then let's split up and meet at the town's main square there within an hour. And Ashei... be careful."

Ashei's shoulders relaxed a little and walked past her partner. "Keep that one eye open."

The young girl got lost in the crowd, and Sheik did the same in the opposite direction.

Being among people without explicitly targeting anyone with a weapon was... strange, almost reassuring. It made the everlasting weight on her shoulders to feel less suffocating, yet that only made her feel even more restless too. These people had no idea that she was one of Hyrule's biggest and constant threats, she and the rest of her allies were perfectly hidden between the unsuspecting crowd.

That was the only reason why she couldn't ditch this mission. Part of Sheik just wished for cry out for help, to just grab Ashei and get her to safety, to just finally... find her way back home.

But it was all wishful thinking. She wouldn't be able to ask for help even if she wanted, not with all that blood that dirtied her hands and would never be able to wash away.

Right now, all she needed to do was to finish this mission with as little casualties as possible and hope that the Mistress didn't feel upset with them.

She checked several Inns, unsurprisingly, most of them were packed, but none so far seemed to have booked or seen the man she was searching. Sheik just hoped that Ashei fared better.

At the last Inn, a modest-looking place, she was fortunate enough to find who seemed to be a merchant (she was able to tell by the sizeable backpacks he carried), a man who was just booking in early for the day.

She put up an innocent act with no effort, tapping gently at his shoulder. He was extremely tall and had deep brown skin with dark hair tied in a small bun, there was something strangely regal about his features.

"Sorry, I was wondering, didn't a mask merchant come to trade in this town?" she asked, trying to not think too much about the guy. His large bushy brows arched at her question.

"Oh... _that guy._ Yeah. I thought that he'd be selling somewhere in the market, but don't take me too seriously: he seems more like the kind of person who'd be selling in a dark alleyway." he said, his voice was unexpectedly youthful. "You're actually the second person to ask me about him. Is there a theater troupe showing up for the festival?"

"I think so. But I'm just interested in the masks" she lied as she eyed the animal bone sticking out from the merchant's bag. "... May I?"

"Sorry, I was done for today... But, oh well, if you're that interested." the young man shrugged and with the Innkeeper's permission he opened up his bag to show her his wares.

It wasn't like she truly needed to see them or that she had the time, but she already bothered to pickpocket people on her way; it'd be a waste to not buy anything on the go. She was surprised to see how many bone jewelry he had, but that wasn't all.

"This is... a Joy Pendant, right?" The butterfly-looking pendant caught her eye almost immediately, how the bone and precious metal merged beautifully, it was basically a perfect copy of the one she's already seen long before.

The merchant was beaming. "'Tis the real deal. 100% Bokoblin-made."

"Huh... so they are made by them? I've only seen people trying to replicate them, but it was said that real ones can only be found among bokoblins."

The young man grimaced a little. "They use that wording, yes, just to not admit bokoblins are the ones who make them _butwhateverGarsonnobodycares_..." he grumbled lowly, Sheik didn't quite hear that. "Anyhow, the quality is superb, and I'm pretty sure you won't find anyone else here offering you this in such perfect conditions."

"... How much?"

"It's 150 rupees."

A little expensive for a trinket, but it wasn't like it hurt Sheik to part with that money. She wordlessly paid the exact amount to him and then stored the pendant safely in her pouch. The merchant just quietly thanked her for doing business with him and she bowed her head to him out of courtesy. The merchant just pulled his bag up again and glanced back at the Innkeeper.

"So, can I put my things already in my room? I'll be out until night."

The elder man shrugged uninterested. "Suit yourself, lad."

The merchant just waved at Sheik. "Good afternoon, and thanks."

Sheik had to stop herself from smiling too much, but having such a friendly human interaction with someone outside of the Yiga was such a rare treat, she needed to treasure it for as long as she could.

Evening was soon to come and it'd be time to leave. The dark alleyways were beckoning her and they would make her job infinitely easier now.

She prepared the rope and fastened her hair, keeping her weapons secured in their hidden place; she'd make sure that they'd remain untouched this time.

* * *

"Link! Help, Link!" when the knight on duty turned around he met the little daughter of the local judge, sprinting at him with her face red, eyes almost watering. "Help! My little brother and his friends were kidnapped by a weird-looking guy! Please!"

The little girl had good instincts, and he knew better than to dismiss such a heartfelt plea. "Where did they go?"

"The guy was playing a scary melody with the flute! The boys were following him like ducklings!"

"Dana, where did they go?" he repeated louder, just enough to not upset the girl.

The girl pointed southwest, presumably to the crops on the town's outskirts. Link did not waste his time to whistle at his fellow guardsmen and quickly take their steeds to search for the kids and the suspect on the run.

It would make sense if the stranger tried to slip by the crops, people were so busy harvesting to notice visitors, and guards were more focused on protecting the farmers. He never thought that any outsider would notice anything about this issue, but if he learned anything about his years of experience, it was that the Yiga clansmen's intelligence couldn't be underestimated.

And this wasn't the first time they attempted to kidnap children in town. He had known that when he was a little boy that at least five children were taken away to never be heard of again.

He had to push his mare too early, and it was a little dangerous to run in town among too many more people than usual, but it couldn't be helped. The only positive side of this situation was that it wasn't nighttime yet, so escape would be harder for the ruffians.

His squad, led by their elder captain ran around the crop grounds, and they immediately noticed that there was a commotion already, two guards down while several farmers were crying out for help.

His gut had been correct, and on top of that the kidnapper had already been discovered. Good. This would make the ruffian more nervous and likely to commit more mistakes. Help would arrive for the wounded, so there was no time to waste.

On the horizon, where the fields began to stretch before their eyes, a man on a car pulled by horses was on the run, and that's when his captain ordered Link to take aim. He was their best archer after all, but Link knew he'd hate himself if he accidentally hit one of the horses. Then again, children's lives were at stake here, he couldn't afford hesitation.

And then, the soil exploded. Several red explosives had gone off almost in the squad's faces, horses panicking and some of them actually knocking their riders off, but not Link or his captain. "Link, we can't stop now, go!"

The fugitive driver was sharp, he turned left towards a steep hill where a large grove started, so it would make it harder for the riders to catch up to him, but Link knew these treacherous paths all too well to be fooled.

His mottled mare Fien, as if driven by a telepathic connection, started to gallop even faster without his master even telling her to, she knew the paths among the trees as well as he did. Before the driver realized, Link was just a few meters close to the car, his bow readied.

When Link got close enough to take a closer look into the car, and he distinguished three children and two young women on the back huddled next to each other, but the ruffian yelled something and darted a knife into Link's direction.

Fool, if he intended to stop him, he could've aimed to his mare. Link reacted with lightning-like speed, used the metallic handle of his bow to deflect the blade, and promptly fired two arrows in succession.

One of them got the kidnapper in the arm and other in the chest. He yelped in pain, but remained steady on his seat, seemingly not fatally wounded yet. Link readied another set...

That's when one of the women inside the car moved, the small woman wearing blue. Before Link could register what was going on, he watched how she pulled a bow of her own and fired at him.

He was foolish to assume the women were also kidnapped.

Link couldn't do as much as to bend his legs as to avoid his feet got caught in the chair's stirrup when he fell down. The impact knocked the air out of him, and his vision blurred around the terrible ache surrounding him as Fien neighed distressed, her legs fidgeted as if she feared accidentally stepping on her master.

His adrenaline-driven brain forced him out of the stupor to get him back up before his captain called out to him. They couldn't stop for his sake, not with the children still in danger. "The children! Save the children!" Link roared in pain.

Two arrows were sticking out of his chest and shoulder, and Link was mildly thankful that he wore a thick chest guard, otherwise the arrows would've definitely pierced past him. He couldn't fathom that archer's terrible strength if that double-shot was able to literally kick him off of his own horse.

It didn't matter though, he needed to keep his head up and make sure the children were safe... Carefully be plucked out the arrows from his chest, feeling the burn; he just hoped they weren't poisoned.

He could only observe how the car with the horses was running through the green plains, but just about when Link struggled to get back on Fien's chair, he noted another figure on the top of a distant hill.

There was a pitch-black figure on top of a large horse, the way they rose their hand up to the skies felt somehow... foreboding.

And suddenly, out of nowhere, the car horses freaked out and stopped on their tracks, making the driver fly past them and land painfully on the grasslands. The car collapsed to the side. Link already directed Fien to the spot of the accident, feeling just concerned over the childrens' safety.

Link was still hurt, he knew he'd be at a disadvantage if he engaged in a physical fight, but he had no choice.

His captain already came to check on the damaged cart, but he was pushed back by a sickle-wielding woman. Both of them now wore masks with the inverted Eye Symbol, and that's when Link unsheathed his sword and shield. The children were still inside the car. But Link's attention was divided between the Yiga women and the ground, the skeletal hands that sprouted from the ground that kept the horses' legs in an iron-grip...

A sharp terrible sound suddenly filled the air, the pitch of that sound was so high that he felt like it'd pierce his ears just like arrows, Link gasped in pain and winced, trying his hardest to not keel over. He forgot about the driver, who was now blowing into the flute that Dana mentioned before. But judging from how the women cringed, they were not immune to the shrieking sound of that flute; even so, it didn't stop the woman in red to swish out her sickle and attack him with a brutish war cry.

Link moved just fast enough to deflect the strike with his shield, but he couldn't stop the woman in blue from landing an extraordinary kick to the shield and making him fall back again. He rolled to the side, swinging his sword to keep them at bay. They repeated the process, but each new movement became duller and clumsier on all three sides, to the point in which it was hard to tell who was winning. The flute's song was clearly hindering everyone's capacity to fight, but the flutist didn't seem to care if it also affected his allies.

Just when it felt like the song was about the make his eardrums explode, it was stopped abruptly by the flutist's scream. When Link looked back again, he saw a dark young man towering over the powerless ruffian, pummeling him again and again with his fists.

Taking the opportunity, Link quickly pushed himself over again and quickly closed the distance between them by ramming his shield into the woman wearing red and jammed the pommel of his sword to the one wearing blue. The red one fell sprawling to the ground, but the blue one managed to avoid the hit, and jumped back. Link was prepared for a counter-strike, but instead, he watched how she jumped to pick up her comrade and glared daggers at him through her mask before using a smoke technique to escape.

Link dropped on his knees, between jagged breaths he called out his captain and just now it seemed like the rest of the squad was arriving to the scene... And that's when he looked into the car. The three young boys were all there, still unconscious and seemingly unharmed. Both him and the captain sighed in great relief.

Back to the young man who had come to the rescue on his own, Link noticed that the flutist had also disappeared in a cloud of orange smoke, which had taken him by surprise...

And then Link realized that their savior was actually the weird bokoblin-craft salesman that he met at the main square.

Good to know that their extremely big physique wasn't there just for show.

"Oh, hey, it's you again" said the youth, seemingly recognizing him too.

The captain had no idea of what happened, but he was more than glad to give his appreciation to the heroic stranger, all the squad arriving to check on the stolen car and the horses. The children began to wake up and cry for their parents.

Link briefly noticed that there were dirty small bones lying in the place where the flutist used to stand. It was beginning to get dark too.


	2. Unknown

**Chapter II. Unknown.**

The man was tied hanging upside down, she didn't need to use too much force to knock him unconscious, but once she began to open his bags he seemed to have shaken himself awake. Sheik tried to not be fazed by this, so she only made sure half of her face was hidden under her muffler. This was also an isolated alley, and if he screamed, help would take its time to come.

"Oh, is there anything I can do to help you, young one?" the extremely casual voice of the Mask Salesman caught her off-guard, but she didn't react. It was odd that a man would be so calm in a situation like this, but she was used to weirdos... However, she couldn't shake off how that saccharine voice managed to send chills down her spine. She attempted to shrug it off by turning the large bag upside down to empty it effectively. "...Or maybe you could just ask if I could show you my wares, there's that. A mask you've got in mind?"

Again, she ignored him, the masks were all wrapped in cloth to keep them from getting damaged, and from what Sheik could see, each mask was unique and eccentric. She knew they were not regular masks, as whenever her fingers passed one to the other, she could sense deep in her gut the strange power that they possessed. There were masks made of bone, stone, wood and leather, some resembled faces of people and others like monsters she couldn't describe... But no matter how many masks she looked over, Sheik couldn't find what she was looking for.

"The Eye." She turned around, his head was at her neck-level, so he could see how her silver dagger's edge curved towards his throat.

"... Pardon?" For a moment he seemed scared.

"You have the Eye of Truth. Tell me where is it."

"My, and why would I risk having such a valuable item with me at all times? What use would I have for it?"

She pressed the sharp tip against his neck, barely enough that one wrong movement would slice him open. Her only eye burned a glare into him, secretly begging him to not make her hurt him.

"Where. Is. It." she rasped under her muffler.

However, the merchant seemed incredibly calm, his small heavy-lidded eyes looked at her with no hint of malice. Sheik didn't like that, it was as if he could see right through her. The dagger was heavy in her hand.

"I can tell you where to find it. But what would you do with it if it was in your hands? Is what you want the same what your master wants?"

Sheik did not respond, just kept still, her knife unyielding but her mind in disarray. Why would this stranger act as if he knew her? What good it'd do to him to pretend to offer his sympathy?

The Mask Salesman smiled mysteriously. "You can find what you're looking for in the side bag at right. I imagine that you cannot afford to return empty handed."

With only a sliver of hesitation, Sheik went to inspect the bag once more. There was a sealed scroll inside... and Sheik was about to open it until she heard him speak again: "Say, young one, how much do you know of the Blood Moon?"

* * *

By dawn, it seemed like the rumors of this crisis were stopped before taking off, the fact that the worst outcome was prevented made it easier for the words of the incident to not spread. The Harvest Festival would continue as planned. However, that only meant that Link would be worked to the bone in the following days since his wounds weren't serious enough anyway.

It was going to a hassle, and it would undoubtedly ruin the weekend for those off-duty, as they'd need as many sentries as possible because of the attack. Link felt satisfied that at least he managed to save the children. Part of himself just kept reassuring him that it was all worth it, in spite of his fellow guardsmen's complaints.

But on top of that, nobody was given the time to get to know the young merchant who helped to stop the Yiga clansmen from taking the children. That sort of bravery was well-commended for a civilian... but Link knew that the youth couldn't be just a civilian.

After making his first shift rounds throughout the crops field, Link he helped a couple of old men to get their cucco chicks off the rooftops (somehow he could never refuse to do weird jobs even if he had better things to do) in the middle of the night. Not the best way he planned to spend his break, but he just couldn't say no to such sweet old men. But other thing that had been bothering him was that he noticed the odd young merchant watching him from the distance.

"Thank you, we've been unable to go to sleep because of that horrible attack, all our cuccos were scared out of their feathers."

Link nodded before seeing the old men go back into their home. "You will be fine. I'll be making rounds over here tomorrow too."

"Goddess bless you, Link."

When Link turned around, the merchant was still there, more plainly in sight, as if somehow aware that it didn't look good to stalk a guard from the shadows. The young man was much taller than he thought, seemed to be in good shape too since the incident a few hours ago.

"That was so valiant, and without ladders; nice job!" His voice was odd, too deep for a kid, but the tone was too youthful for a grown man. Either way, didn't seem to be forcing that friendliness. "Are you some sort of local hero?"

There was no outer indication that should point Link towards thinking that this man was up to no-good, but he just couldn't stop thinking about what he witnessed and the sort of feelings it awoke within him. It was like a hidden instinct nagging at him in the back of his head, telling him to not let his guard down in front of this young man.

Link walked calmly around him, trying to relax his face. "Maybe. Are you some sort of wizard?"

The other shrugged. "Just a humble merchant with a few tricks under his sleeve."

"... Raising the dead doesn't seem like a small feat. That's dark magic."

It was barely perceptible, but Link noticed him tense his mouth. "It is. But I used it for good, didn't I? Don't tell me that you're some sort of magic purist. Please don't go out of your way to tell on me, I'll curse you." Link stood still and waited. The other snorted lightly, passed close enough to Link to tap him on the shoulder. "Just kidding."

Link sighed. He berated himself internally for jumping to bad conclusions. The day had been rough for him, he was hurt and tired and he needed rest to clear his thoughts, otherwise his paranoia was going to get him killed; this young man just happened to be kind enough to endure this needless accusation with humor.

"Just don't cause any trouble."

"I wasn't going to, but now that you mention it, I'm tempted to dye every guardsmen's uniform bright green."

"Please don't."

His smile was playful in a childish sense. "Yeah, I'm still not good at magically dying clothes..."

"You're still a little weird."

"I can't debate against that, but hey, the world would be a very boring place without folk like me, yes?"

Link tried to not smile back. Couldn't deny that his good humor was contagious. The tall young man stretched his arms casually, and makes evident how small Link is in comparison with him, but he didn't feel intimidated anymore.

"Anyhow, I think I'm done playing hero for a day, I have a busy day tomorrow... and I think you do too. Have a good night."

Link tries to not think of what happened when he heads back to his mother's house. He didn't realize how truly exhausted he was until he passed out cold upon finding his bed.

* * *

The following morning, he was awakened by the warm scent of baked eggs, bread and freshly made tomato sauce. His stomach growled angrily, urging him to get up and go to the kitchen where his mother was already waiting for him. Not to mention, he needed to be on duty for the whole day too.

His house wasn't always clean nowadays, but it always had a warm comforting air in it no matter the season. The walls were covered with dusty arms and shields that his father loved collecting, and there was a small bookshelf where a few worn books stood, most of the furniture was occupied by figurines of fairies and sepia pictographs of the three together. Since pictographs were still a novelty and expensive to get, his mother treasured them above anything else.

When he walked into the cluttered kitchen, he greeted his mother Olivia quietly as he sat down on one of the three empty chairs. He treated himself with the milk bottle on the table, and served some more to the second glass for his mother too.

"How did you sleep? Oh, breakfast is ready, just try to eat before you wash yourself." Olivia beamed, through her more recent wrinkles. His mother was a pretty small woman, and people would often mention how much he got out of her appearance wise, from her height to the sweet color of her hair. Of course, it was hard to tell now that her lovely pink head was filling with gray hairs.

They sat and shared a brief mutual silence in contemplation... each time was getting easier than the last; it meant that their wounds were healing. When they started to eat, he picked up the gazette from today, unsurprised that only a small text block was used to talk about the attempted kidnapping, the authorities probably wanted to focus the attention on the festival as much as possible.

"You know... Tarot's daughter just came early this morning to bring me this milk, ain't she a sweetheart? She also asked about you, so I told her it'd be fine if she returned at night"

Link tensed. "Mom... No."

"Why not? She's a pretty lady and you're lucky enough she's still single", his mother tilted her head, she dropped her spoon on her plate to put her hand on his, her eyes were not as insistent as they were... sad. "Just give her a chance, that's all, dear. You're 27 already. It's past time that you started thinking on settling down, having a family."

"But you are my family" he murmured, unable to lift his hand away.

It wasn't like his mother couldn't take care of herself or that he was too dependent on her, Link simply didn't feel like he needed to 'settle down'. Since his father quietly passed away last year, Link made sure to help her out with the house in every way, but even though they could share bits of happiness in their precious time together, he could tell how it greatly affected Olivia. To be forced to reflect on the mortality of your loved ones and yourself was a terrible thing indeed.

But maybe she was right: he stopped being a boy long ago and most men his age were already married and with kids. Yet, he couldn't help to not care about marriage, let alone, having a girlfriend.

"At least... promise you'll try to get to know more ladies, Link. I won't be here for you forever, and if I have to leave this world, at least I want to know that you'll have someone at your side who will love you." Of course, he couldn't say all of what he thought to his mother right now, not when she was still mourning the passing of her husband...

The prospect of having someone so loved just to lose or leave them behind only made the idea or marriage just less appealing to him. The only thing he really wanted right now was to make sure she'd be safe and happy for the rest of her life, that was the most he could do anyway.

He finished his breakfast and hurried to prepare for his shift, hoping that no more kidnappers would ruin his day.

* * *

The worst part was the wait.

The gap between firmly locking their gazes down when the report was given and the response of the Mistress once she finished digesting every bit of information was more often than not the most dreaded moment for every Yiga subordinate. It was even worse when half of the mission had resulted in failure, as Sheik did bring back something, perhaps the only saving grace of this mess of a heist. Upon offering the scroll from the Mask Salesman, Sheik had to suppress that small grain of doubt, desperately hoping that she wasn't wrong for taking the words of the Mask Salesman for granted.

They couldn't see it, but finally it seemed like the tension in the air lessened significantly.

"I'd normally be upset with you reporting back so late, and with Laeg's catastrophic failure, I was in a dreadful mood... But after taking a good look at this scroll, I can recognize it's authenticity. I must praise you for your success. Good job, Ashei, Sheik." Sheik tried to not release the breath she had been holding, but she couldn't help to feel relieved. Of course Sheik had to modify some details of the report of all the facts in order to give Ashei as much credit, otherwise her partner would be in for the shared punishment. "You're both dismissed."

With that said, the girls kept still until they heard the Mistress leave by closing her chamber's door, it was considered an insult to raise their heads unless they were explicitly told to them to rise before she left a room. Ashei sighed and removed her mask, her forehead was damp in sweat.

"That... went unexpectedly well. I thought that she'd be pulling any excuse to send us back to ice room." she murmured, trying to not walk away too fast from the hall.

"I'm hungry. Let's dine." Sheik muttered, heading to the fortress' dinning hall.

Since the clan's hidden 'village' was seated inside the mountains of Gerudo, most of the precinct was hidden in caves, and there was only a precious few spaces with windows. What it was once a large temple dedicated to the worship of what might've been three goddesses of old was now a place to house the deadliest clan in Hyrule.

During this season there was a greater sense of peace and quiet in the temple, given that the young were taken to train to the snowy mountains this time of the year and wouldn't be coming back until the end of fall. Year after year, children would return from the mountains hardened by their ordeals... and so far, nobody had died off from those pilgrimages, surprisingly; Sheik knew that the ones currently taking care of the youth were competent enough for the jobs... the Mistress made sure of that.

Once the girls were allowed to take their own food out of the kitchen, they sat in a dark corner of the hall, nobody else was there except them and two blademasters on the other side mumbling to each other.

Ashei took a long sip to her water. "I wonder what's the Mistress going to do to Laeg."

"The screams will let us know." Sheik acted aloof even though she didn't mean to sound that way, but there was nothing she could feel or do for Laeg. "Better not think about it."

"... Indeed." Ashei nodded, pensively tapping her fingers on her let her be at her thoughts, she simply decided to finish up her dry banana bread and water in silence, it usually helped to let Ashei think without pushing her to speak her mind.

She then looked back at her in the eye with a lingering uncertainty.

"You know... That was the first time I've ever seen Stalkin during daylight. You saw them too, didn't you?" Sheik slowed her chewing as she gave meaning to Ashei's words. The Stalkin were the reanimated bones of the dead that normally came during the night, yet during that fight, she clearly saw how the skeleton arms sprouted from the ground and grabbed the horses and Laeg, turning the tide against them. "It could only be dark magic, right?", Ashei whispered.

"... Should be. I'm aware that dark magic is only meant to be used at night, but whoever cast such a powerful spell during the day should be a dangerous warlock."

"And worst of all they're not on our side. This is going to anger Mistress Melana."

Sheik nodded, it might as well just pique the Mistress's interest. Dark magic was something of what she could never have enough in her ranks.

It was better to not think much about that, the Mistress was busy enough trying to find the Eye of Truth, besides, Laeg would inform her anyway about what exactly happened during the mission... if he didn't pass out too soon during the punishment. This was but another trouble for another day. Sheik only hope that someday she'd be given another chance to go out there and get another feel at that illusory freedom.

Which reminded her...

Sheik pulled something out of her pocket, nearly forgetting about what she bought. "I... found this at the market. I have no use for it, but I think you do."

"It's a real Joy Pendant?" Ashei's eyes lighted up upon recognizing the trinket, Sheik put it in her hand and she was speechless for a minute.

One of the things that helped Ashei as a child to get through the day was the Joy Pendant she used to have, the one last remnant she possessed of her previous life. Even though she couldn't remember why, the pendant appeared to be very important, so Ashei entrusted Sheik with the secret... Until other kids found out about it. Ashei's pendant disappeared one day and Sheik confronted other kids about it; through threats and intimidation she ended up making them confess that the pendant was taken by the blademasters when one careless kid was flaunting it in the training grounds, which meant that the pendant was as good as gone. The children were not allowed contact with objects from the outside world, to avoid 'contaminating their minds' with ideas that contradicted the Yiga.

"I know it won't replace the one you lost, but I know you were happier when you had one."

"Don't you mean more_ Joyful_?" Ashei snickered, Sheik smirked and gently punched the other girl's arm. "Thanks. I'll repay it to you somehow."

Ashei had been the first real friend she made in this place, both quiet but scared girls buried within a world of scarlet walls and dim candlelight, they found comfort in each other. That was why Sheik had been able to maintain her sanity so far, otherwise...

"Sheik. Come to me."

The voice the Mistress broke through them and Sheik's heart froze. Ashei only closed her palm around the pendant, slowly trying to dissimulate that she was hiding nothing as she bowed down. Sheik only walked towards the woman in perfect calmness, no questions asked and no hesitation in her steps; she knew exactly how to behave after so many years.

They walked back to her chambers, Sheik always walking at a perfectly measure distance behind the Mistress. Even though Sheik walked with such natural stealth, by looking at the tail of the woman's dark gown dragging smoothly on the floor, it was impossible to see her heels touching the silk, almost as if she was merely gliding instead of walking. Hadn't Sheik known better, she'd be certain that the woman wasn't even human.

Upon arrival, she closed the doors of the chamber without being told, such was routine. The mistress' private chambers always smelled like incense, never lit enough to see the corners of the room, but one could still see the great amount of ancient relics carefully displayed, everything from many distinct cultures, all of them preluding bad omens. It couldn't be healthy to stay surrounded by so many cursed objects for too long...

"Remove your hood", she commanded, but her voice turned softer. Sheik obeyed and lift her face enough to make eye contact.

At that moment, the Mistress carefully removed the mask she always needed to wear outside. Sheik didn't budge, she was already used to seeing the Mistress without the Yiga mask... and she was possibly one of the few people who were still allowed the privilege to see her face. The Mistress Melana was underneath it all just a normal plain-looking woman, her paleness was evident and so was her young age; it was widely accepted that she couldn't be older than 40.

Whenever she showed her face to Sheik, it just filled her with unspeakable dread and confusion, specially when her face looked too human... almost motherly. Her long fingers touched Sheik's face and she tried not to flinch, but her heart was getting out of control, even though her fingers were warm and tenderly brushed Sheik's bangs back. "There we go... Have you been practicing your archery lately?" Sheik merely nodded in silence, focusing in the woman's mouth instead of her eyes. She smiled with warmth. "Good."

Sheik always felt empty inside whenever Mistress Melana acted this way, knowing of what terrible things she was capable of and every single instance of abuse endured under her thumb, Sheik always had a bad time reconciling these two sides about the woman who raised her... but lately Sheik found it easier to scrutinize each part of that vile manipulation, each calculated move to control her.

It took her years, but Sheik was finally recovering her memories. And the most difficult part was to act as if nothing was happening, specially in front of Her.

The Mistress' fingers gently caressed the skin beneath the empty socket of her left eye, Sheik repressed a shiver running down her spine; the woman looked sad. "Not a single day passes when I don't regret doing this to you. I'm sorry."

Sheik clenched her fists in secret.

The Mistress let go of Sheik's face and gracefully walked to the other side of her chamber, right to the heavy doors that guided into a well-known room that Sheik knew all too well.

"But you know why it must be this way. Can't afford anyone's will to dwindle under my care. I must show everyone why it's important that each action has its consequences and rewards." And now... I think Laeg's stupid course of actions had led him to this outcome. In spite of being outmaneuvered, he did hinder your tasks with his stupidity, did he not?"

"... Yes." Sheik murmured, her heart at her throat.

The door creaked loudly and guided them into an even darker room, where the air was stank of iron and wetness. The pained breathing of a person echoed inside that place. The Mistress put her mask back on and tilted her head at Sheik. When she approached, the Mistress offered a thin iron pike, Sheik had no choice but to take it even though she was starting to feel sick.

"Then you're in your right to show him the consequences. Do be kind to him though: after all, he did lead us to the Mask Merchant we needed." But Sheik didn't move, her feet suddenly felt so heavy and she internally panicked, fearing what'd happen next. However, instead of brutal violence, Sheik just felt a gentle nudge at her back. "Go on, I don't need to guide your hand anymore, my child."

She stepped into the room and stayed there until the Mistress was satisfied.

* * *

In the recent months things started to change drastically.

Ever since the end of the last Harvest Festival, the roads started to get increasingly more dangerous from Akkala to Eldin and to Central Hyrule, and merchant guilds started to go out of their way to hire escorts, since all attacks and kidnappings started to affect them most of all. It wasn't a surprise when people found out that the Yiga Clan was behind this organized terror, but they weren't usually this active in a span of so little time. There was definitely more to the attacks than it appeared.

On the long run, this could affect gravely the commerce of every town among those regions, so people started to take measures and it opened more jobs for mercenaries and the like, it wasn't like the merchants were picky about the escorts so long as they were competent.

Link met a lot of bitter and shocked stares from his fellow guardsmen when he decided to take a break from his duty as a town guard and applied to become an escort too. He couldn't say that the pay was better than his long-time job, and admittedly, he acted out on an impulse; however, his gut was telling him that he could probably help more if he was out there protecting people from the Yiga Clan.

Of course, his mother reprimanded him on the rash decision, but she decided that she wouldn't try to convince him to quit it. She was under the impression that he wanted to see more of Hyrule and meet new people, maybe hone his skills or feel more content with his life. Maybe she was right about all those things, he thought.

Within a month, Link met with the leader of a mercenary group that was under contract with a guild to protect them on their way to Hyrule castletown, which seemed reasonably close, as it'd take about a week of traveling on horse if they took off from Tarrey Town, which was only half a day away from New Akkala. It felt like a simple enough gig for Link's first time.

He bought everything he needed for his long journey with his last paycheck, yet his mother scolded him for making too many expenses; before he could reason with her, she just started preparing all of his food within a few days before leaving. He had to beg her to let him help cook at least, she was awfully stubborn when she was mad. Link just hoped that she'd be fine on her own and eventually calm down.

The day he left with the mercenary group, he realized that they were fewer than he imagined, as they were roughly just three women and two men besides him. On top of that, they needed to protect a caravan of twenty merchants. He didn't know how effective his new partners would be, but Link already felt pressured to protect as many merchants as possible at once.

"So, this gig, how long is it?" Link asked his new boss on their way to Tarrey Town. The man looked like he'd seen a lot of rough years, but didn't look older than 50.

"About a month, give or take, depending on how long we stay in Castletown, since a few of them said that they're also gonna pay for protection on their way back."

It made sense, Link thought. But the only part of this job that made him so uneasy was the fact that this would be the longest time he'd be away from his hometown. A month wasn't that much, but still, he couldn't help feeling a little helpless. "Lighten up, kid. The first job is always leaves townsfolk like you homesick, but before you know it, you'll get used to it."

Link cringed a bit after being called 'kid'; just when he thought that he already left those days behind...

Once they were at the outside of Tarrey Town, they saw the caravan of merchants was ready to go, so before parting, his boss would set up some final conditions with the guild's leader. Link hoped that it'd leave enough time to take a quick look at the town, but that was unlikely given how no-nonsense his boss seemed to be.

Now that he got a good look at the merchants, Link realized that among them was the same wizardly young man that he met at the eve of the Harvest Festival and thwarted the attempted kidnapping of the children. The tall merchant was standing next to a fittingly gorgeous black horse, a size too intimidating to approach for Link's mare, so he decided to jump off her and take a close look himself.

The young merchant was talking to an equally tall Gerudo older woman, and they hugged before saying good-bye to each other, she turned around to walk back in town. In that moment, the young man noticed that Link was close by, so his brows quirked up curiously.

"It's you! I didn't think I'd see you again so soon. Small world, huh?" The young man smirked, and Link shrugged amicably. Somehow, that still contagious friendliness compelled him to smile too. Why did it feel like he was seeing an old friend all of sudden? They've only met a couple of times. "I don't think we've introduced ourselves, have we? Name's Garson, and I'm a local here."

They stretched hands to each other, Garson's hands were so big that could easily crush his. "Link."

"Well Link, seems like you're going to be taking care of me now. Got tired of being a guard?"

"You could say that."

However, soon Link's attention was on the big black steed behind Garson.

"Can I...?"

Garson just looked back at his horse. "Sure, I guess?" But the moment that Link approached to extend his hand to the creature's muzzle, it just huffed aggressively and shook its head, making Link back away. Garson snickered. "Careful, he bites."

"What breed is he?"

"Just a wild horse from the scrublands, his name is Valo."

Link tried again, this time slower and keeping eye contact. The horse seemed more cooperative and allowed Link to pat its gigantic muzzle. It was indeed a steed not meant to be taken lightly, its proud eyes demanded respect and fear.

"You've done a good job at taming him, it shows." Link commented, pacing away from the horse, as if careful to not offend it. Garson beamed with pride.

It was time to part along the caravan, and Link goes back to his own horse, although Garson begins to follow him closely, which take Link a lot of control to make Fien not get too scared of the wild horse.

They spoke about horses for a while, exchanging advice and personal experiences with their respective steeds, and one thing leading to the other, Garson shared bits about how his great grandfather funded Tarrey Town and how he became the first son in three generations of only daughters. Then, the woman that bid Garson farewell had to be his mother... which only made Link realize that this was the first time he's ever seen a male Gerudo in his life. Sure, he didn't have the characteristic red hair that was an instant giveaway, but after looking at his dark skin and bright golden eyes, it was suddenly more obvious.

Anyhow, as the caravan went on its way, Link started to feel more at ease with this job. Even if keeping an eye on many at the time would be a handful, he was feeling more confident in his ability to protect these people.

He would keep close to Garson, but he also went often to check on others, specially at their first stop at night, when everyone was setting up their first camp.

It was a diverse caravan, only seven of them were hylians, three of them were zoras, there was Garson and the rest of them were gorons.

Link then noticed something odd among the merchants, a distinct man that traveled only by foot.

The large bag that man carried on his back displayed a number of masks, and between those masks, one of them imitated a human face frozen in a mute terrified scream.

"That mask..." he muttered, the more it unsettled him, the harder it was to look away. The merchant heard Link though, and he directed him a small smile.

"Ah, does that one pick your interest?"

Link shook his head, not meant to be heard. The man dressed in rich purple clothes looked strangely ageless, but Link had the feeling this man was far older than he physically appeared to be.

"... Why sell such strange masks? They're all so..."

"Niche, aren't they?" The man just nodded, not bothered at all. "Yes, but you'd be amazed how many seek them. Each person has a mask that will fit them just right. I believe I must have one made just for you somewhere."

Link was about to ask something, but his attention was suddenly caught by Garson was standing back afar making signs and moving his mouth as if telling Link 'no'.

"... Maybe later."

The man simply nodded and went back to minding his own business. Link walked surrounding the mounts and followed Garson, who was still nervously staring at the mysterious man from afar.

"Who is that?" Link managed to ask.

"Just the Happy Mask Salesman. Don't ask me about his name, nobody knows and he won't say. He gives me the creeps, and I wouldn't linger close to him for too long." Garson looked frightened for a moment. "Personally speaking, I don't think that he is even a person. I heard that he eats the hearts of monsters to keep looking young."

"He's creepy alright, but you must be exaggerating", Link snorted, amused at that childish speculation. Garson frowned, looking slightly offended. "You're not 12, are you?"

"I'm 19, not _that_ far from you."

Link went silent for a moment, just staring at the hulking stature of the young man. '_... No way_.'

"... I could've sworn you were older."

"You wish!"

At least now it made sense why was Garson the way he was. The talked some more during dinner, as he ate some of the dried fruit and jerky his mother packed for him.

* * *

**A/N: Please leave some feeback if you liked the story. It will keep me motivated to write some more.**


	3. Unforgiven

**Chapter III. Unforgiven.**

The past few months were the busiest in years. Ever since the Mistress got a hold of the scroll that Sheik gave to her, she started to send away her men to hunt down people, particularly merchants and messengers. Sheik presumed it was because she was trying to destabilize the economy of northeast Hyrule in order to start a coup, the most ambitious move she's ever made, but deep down Sheik knew that there had to be more to it than what meets the eye.

Speaking of which, Sheik wasn't notified yet whether the scroll was deciphered to find the location of the Eye of Truth, or if it was already found. It could possibly explain why has Mistress Melana decided to make more moves across Hyrule. Not knowing was starting to make Sheik even more anxious.

One morning, after Sheik finished her daily archery practice with excellent marks, she waited at the hall to see Ashei return from a supposedly short job, the girl was extremely weary and wasn't in the mood to do anything other than to lie down. Sheik helped Ashei to the dormitories and tucked her in. Seemingly their mission didn't go as smoothly as expected because of the weather, but they did accomplish their goal to intimidate a small town on the borders of Gerudo Desert. Ashei wrapped herself in their spare blankets and murmured something that Sheik didn't quite catch.

"... Oh, it's just the other day... I remembered something." she whispered, she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. "I think... I used to live with my father, I mean... my _real_ father up in the mountains."

Sheik stilled in this quietness, trying to not seem surprised.

"I see..."

Even though Ashei appeared asleep, she spoke softly, low enough for only Sheik to hear. "Have... you remembered anything new too?"

"Only some things. Nothing of importance."

Ashei hummed with a smirk. "Can't keep your secrets forever."

"I promise one day I'll let you pry. Just, not now."

The girl's heavy eyelids lifted slightly to look back at Sheik.

"One day, I want to go there. I'll take you with me too." Ashei pulled one hand out and reached for Sheik's fingers.

"... I'd like that." It was hard to not smile at the thought, but her throat felt like tightening.

"Your hands are so cold, damnit", the girl snickered, both her hands pulled Sheik's inside the blankets; it was warm already and some of the soreness from her training subsided. "I feel so tired." she murmured, closing her eyes again, and Sheik sighed, nodding at the unspoken weight of those words.

"I know."

On the other side of the dormitory was a solitary mat where another was resting. Sheik tried to not stare for too long, but ever since she left Laeg with all those wounds... she's been unable to look at him at all, even though the rules of this place forced him to show respect to her as his superior; no matter how many times it happened, Sheik couldn't accept the respect of those she was forced to hurt in the name of their law.

Later that day the Mistress called for Sheik's presence. It wasn't anything that she wasn't expecting, Sheik's been hard at work as well, in the best of cases she was given three days to rest before going back to the field.

Once in the Mistress' presence, Sheik bowed and waited for her to let her rise again.

"Laeg's report of that merchant who used dark magic against you had been investigated for a while and we've gotten some leads on who he might be. I need you for this mission in particular. You've seen this warlock's face too, have you not?" Sheik nodded, she didn't want to dwell on the fact that the merchant in question was also the one who sold her that Joy Pendant. "I want you to seek him and recruit him. If he refuses, bring him to me by any means necessary. Alive."

The Mistress handed over a parchment filled with the specifics of the mission, Sheik wouldn't open it until she was out.

"... Who else will be coming?"

"Palde and Niumu will be there too, you are to dispose of them as how you see it fit. Ashei is terribly sick now to help you, unfortunately. You'll have to settle with them for now." Sheik bit her lip beneath her mask, knowing that Ashei wasn't truly that sick when she left her. She decided to repress that tinge of uneasiness.

This mission could be far more important than what it appeared on the surface.

"As you command, Mistress."

"And Sheik..." she held still, as the slender hand reached out for her face, "please thread carefully."

* * *

So far, no incidents. They've been on the road for nearly a week, and it seemed like they could make it to Castletown next noon at least. Link would say that the journey proved to be duller than what he anticipated, but Garson seemed to be dead-set to get his attention at every chance. Link would find this behavior endearing if it wasn't over the fact that Garson kept setting off weird alarms in Link's head that he couldn't explain.

"- And that's why my sister isn't allowed to bring octorok egg sacks home anymore... Say, you don't actually talk that much. Why?"

Link started at the question, his mind had wandered off while Garson kept rambling on their ride. "Oh, don't take it the wrong way. I just don't have many interesting things to say."

The young merchant just shrugged his large shoulders.

"Well, at least you seem to be a good listener. But I'm sure you must have your share of interesting stories from when you were a watchman, right? You obviously are weathered in combat and... well, stuff."

"I suppose, but you'd be setting yourself up for disappointment."

"Try me."

"Let's see... The most exciting thing happening to me on my own was hunting down some bokoblins spotted near a farm, and it ended with me using explosives, which nearly killed me too..."

"... And?"

"That's it. That's the best story I have. Unless you wanna count that one chase where you helped us." Link was certain that there were plenty of details he could've added to that anecdote, but he didn't have the speech for that. "Not much of a storyteller, sorry." There wasn't actually that much worth telling anyway.

Garson went quiet after that exchange, in time for the caravan to find a good spot to rest for the night.

At sunset, the caravan camp was set, the atmosphere changed radically as people prepared to dine and relax, even play. In spite of having a merely professional relationship, his fellow mercenaries didn't have issues by joining the fun once the men and women brought up the booze, folk songs and laughter started to fill the air. They have earned a little bit of fun after being hard at work in the past few days.

Link found himself singing along with the people once or twice, and before he knew what was going on, he was engaging in sumo fighting with the caravan gorons by peer pressure. He somehow won 3-2 against the bulkiest one, who, in his defense, wasn't even that heavy to begin with (Link's sore limbs cared to differ). Some of the traveler ladies couldn't help but to flatter Link when he shed his shirt to look after bruises, telling him that he was pretty well built for a man his size. Garson teased him for his 'snaring charm', but Link rolled his eyes at the mere idea of being considered 'charming'.

When most of the bonfires started to be put out for the night, Link noticed a stare while he was feeding Fien. The Mask Salesman was pretending to be polishing his mysterious merchandise, but Link had felt the man watching him for a while now. Maybe he wanted his attention? Link felt like he needed to talk again with the man, but he also felt like this wasn't the right time either. Eventually, the sensation of being watched stopped, Link headed to his tent and closed his eyes.

He couldn't sleep.

It was the dead of the night, and most of the caravan had gone to sleep except for those on duty to keep watch. While Link was not assigned to the night shift this time he somehow couldn't fall asleep, even though he should've gotten used to it by now. Perhaps he had too much in his mind. For some reason he couldn't stop thinking about Garson or the Happy Mask Salesman.

As if the world had been reading his thoughts, Garson suddenly poked Link's shoulder to wake him, assuming he was asleep. Of course, Link didn't feel particularly upset for being bothered this late, but by looking at the young man's unusually serious expression, it had to be for a good reason.

"Do you want to come with me?" he whispered, Link noticed that Garson had fastened his bags full of wares on his back. "You don't have to if you don't feel like it."

Link rubbed off his grogginess to take a better look at the dimly lit surroundings. Garson's horse was also ready behind him, waiting for his master. Where was Garson planning to go?

"I'm contracted to protect you, you know."

"Yeah... but we're not doing anything dangerous. Just... tag along. It'll be fine, promise."

For some reason, Garson seemed nervous, Link wasn't sure if the youth was being completely honest; the timing and place were suspicious enough as they were.

Even if he couldn't entirely trust Garson's intentions at the moment, Link felt intrigued enough to follow him nonetheless.

"... Let's not take long."

"Good, then can you put this on?"

"What for?"

"Just do it." There was a slight change of demeanor on Garson as he pressured Link to take the cloak. His expression was unreadable.

He took the cloak and put it on, a little too big for him, and it was inconveniently heavy too, but he figured that he'd manage. He also took his sword and his home-made leather sling just in case. Next, Garson told him to ride his horse Valo for the time being, because it'd be 'too much' to bring two horses. Link decided to not question him yet, but he couldn't deny he felt somewhat thrilled to be allowed to mount Garson's huge horse while he guided them further into the forest, away from the road and the camp.

The night wasn't too dark, but the lanterns they brought along were scarcely enough since the thick of the forest concealed most of the moonlight. At least it didn't seem like there'd be Blood Moon tonight. But all of that aside, there wasn't shortage of noise in the woods, from the cicadas to the crickets have given life to the nighttime, but within Link's experience, they also invited dangers to hide beneath this peaceful song of nature.

Almost an hour had passed and the terrain was growing increasingly bumpier as they delved deeper into the forest, clearly not meant for regular horses, but Valo seemed to have no problem threading in this terrain, just as his master tugged him from the reins. They must've definitely been around here before.

"Where are we even going? Garson?" Link called. He thought he saw some light source behind the thick grove.

"Shh. We're close."

Link grew restless, hearing the sounds of cracking bonfires as they arrived to a clear from the forest close to the river, a place filled with tents and small cabins that looked built in a rush. There were several vigilance posts of wood standing tall around the tiny village. Link's blood started to pump harder as his eyes slowly recognized the humanoid shapes of the watchers on top of the posts had floppy ears and horns protruding from their heads.

Bokoblins.

_What...? What's the meaning of this?_

"Night! It's me, Garson! I come to trade." The young merchant literally guided his steed with Link into their range of view. Not only was Garson giving away their position, he was greeting them.

As a second-nature, Link pulled from under the cloak his sling and readied a stone, but Valo immediately realized Link's tension and neighed to alert Garson. The young man looked back and waved his arms in protest, wearing a expression of fear.

"Link, put that sling down! It's fine! I promised it'd be fine!" he pleaded, and for a moment Link didn't know what to do. Was it really alright to trust Garson?

"Just... don't do anything weird, don't be aggressive, don't even speak out, I'll handle everything." Garson said, a pair of bokoblins were approaching, each armed with wooden spears.

"... Why did you bring me here?" Link finally asked with strained voice.

The young man kept eye-contact with Link. "To see."

Garson had pulled out his merchant badge once the pair of bokoblins were close enough; strangely enough, they didn't show any hostility to him. For what it was worth, this was the first time Link's ever been this close to them without being attacked. He couldn't tell if he felt relieved or even more unnerved.

The two bokoblins exchanged some words, language spoken only by their kind, but Garson replied to them with lightheartedness, as if they had no trouble understanding each other. They briefly eyed Link on top of the horse with clear suspicion, and Link's hold on the sling tightened. "He comes with me, it's fine." Garson told them, only lessening little the wariness in the yellow eyes of the humanoid creatures.

Now that he could take a closer look at the bokoblins in this hamlet, Link began to notice that they looked... different from those he had killed so many times before. Whereas the ones Link knew were often scrawny and hunched, these had a more proper posture when walking and looked healthier. Their clothes were simpler than the average hylian, but were overall distinct and proper, unlike the scant loincloths that he usually saw them wearing. Also their faces were different in small but significant ways.

Now that Link thought about it, he's never heard them talk at all. Were they always able to? Why was he just noticing everything just now?

The overwhelming amount of thoughts and revelations rendered Link shell-shocked, and his body just moved like an automaton as Garson told him to get off the horse with his bags to enter the large tent they were guided to at the center of the hamlet. He just wanted this to be over as soon as possible and leave.

The inside of the tent was warm and noisy, several torches lit illuminated the place that smelled like chestnut and grilled meat, Link's heart jumped up at his throat upon seeing that there were a lot more bokoblins inside, many turning their attention at the two outsiders who just entered. Of all things, Link wasn't surprised that they seemed to greet Garson, and he waved at them amicably in return.

There were bokoblins of all sizes and faces, even little ones running around and squeaking for attention. Seemed like they've arrived at the end of some sort of feast. One of the bokoblins was sitting on the center, her poise was somehow more imposing, exhibiting elaborate bone and gold jewelry that covered all of her chest. Had to be the hamlet's leader by how Link watched Garson bow his head in respect.

"Chief Mora! Good too see you again. It's been a while, hasn't it? Weather has been kind to us" he said, his words sounded rehearsed, but didn't hold any ill will. The chief spoke, her accent thick and her arms moved elegantly, sign that it was fine for the visitors to sit down. The tent's floor was covered in some sort of mats made of woven colored hay.

Link just observed with detachment the whole scene, pretty sure that the more he tried to conceal his face under his cloak, the more eyes stared at him... or perhaps it was just him panicking. While Garson deployed the contents of his bags and apparent traders engaged him with materials of their own, Link tried to remain perfectly still, as if his life depended on it. It was beyond Link how could the young man act so lax and eager towards them, as if they were well-acquainted.

"... That's right. Last time you requested dried hibiscus... I brought the dried daisies too... Yes, yes, of course, and I also have Goron spice and refined sugar, in case it would interest you..."

Just then, Link remembered that the first time he encountered Garson, he was selling their wares, even admitted that he did trade with them for it. The fact that Link didn't take his word for true just set him up for this rude awakening. Besides, it was clear that Garson was experienced in dealing with them, just by looking at how seamlessly he discussed with others about their trade, Garson seemed to perfectly understand them.

An hour passed like this, but Link couldn't relax, yet instead of feeling threatened he just felt mortified, as if his body was tightly roped by thorned vines.

This was wrong. He shouldn't be here. He couldn't be here. How could he? With what right?

"... Hey now, don't be cheap, Chichi, you know I can't give to you more than that!... Link, can you give me that bag on your left?" Garson turned around and shook his hand towards Link, pointing at the bags he had carried here. It took him a little bit to react, his attention drifting to the children that effortlessly climbed in top of Garson's head. He didn't seem to mind, patiently pulled the little kid off him and returned it to the arms of the nearest adult.

"Where's Mokko? I got the medicinal herbs that he asked..." The chieftain spoke slowly to Garson; Link listened more attentively and understood a few words; it definitely was a different dialect of hylian, not a whole different language. After she was done talking, Garson looked crestfallen. "Ah... I see, I'm sorry to hear that. Then, if his son wants to take them...? Very well. Yes, yes, this will do just fine. Could you send him my regards too?" Garson was given a basket as he delivered the herbs he stored in his bag.

"Wish I could stay for longer to talk, but... ah, yeah, I have a long day tomorrow. I'll be coming back in about thirty moons or so. I'll see what can I do about the cotton... Thanks, Chichi, pleasure doing business again." Garson packed his new wares and stood. Link quickly followed, so painfully obvious that he was desperate to leave. "Thanks for having us, Chief Mora. May the Gods watch over you."

And just like that, they were seen off the little village, Link didn't even bother getting back on top of the horse, just trying his best to walk fast, but as fast as to alert them... but that wasn't necessary, he realized, he had to let Garson and his horse to catch up. Garson lifted his lamp and turned to look at Link, wearing a knowing smile.

"... You look even paler than the moon", he commented before fastening properly the rest of his bags on Valo's back. "This is how I do my trade. When we first met you had that wary look on your face when you realized I was selling Bokoblin wares. I thought that this was a good time to show you. Sorry about that."

He didn't sound sorry at all.

Link's feelings were in disarray, he was still trying to process everything that just happened and what it meant for him. All of sudden the sword he was carrying felt heavier tonight. He wished he could just stir away from Garson, but he didn't know the way back, so he had no choice but to allow the merchant to lead the way.

They didn't share a word half throughout their route until Link couldn't bear the silence anymore, keeping those thoughts eating at him would eventually drive him insane.

"How do you do this? They will just be ransacking villagers anyway."

Garson simply sighed, not even deigning to look back at him. "Some small groups do. These communities prefer to not associate with them, that's why they live so retired from roads, unlike those you're used to... or am I wrong?"

The words stung, but Link said nothing.

"The ones that attack people unprovoked, they call them 'the wayward children', they're those who chose to deviate from their tribes' guidance to seek power and immortality. It is said that those who pledged their souls to the Calamity could have those wishes granted... but all of that came at the price of their degradation, mentally and physically." All of this was new knowledge, and Link didn't know how to respond. "And of course, it doesn't stop hylians from making no distinction between them. But such is the world we live in, right?"

Throughout his speech, Link couldn't see his face, but could listen to the small bitterness in the young man's voice. What could he even say in this situation?

"How... how did you even begin to consort with them in the first place?" Link braved to ask after being unable to come up with anything else.

Briefly, Garson turned his face back to look at him. "Uh, it's kind of a long story... so, I'll just abridge it for you. I was a little boy when I joined my uncle for a gig out of town, but then I got ambushed by bokoblins near the forest. When everything seemed to be lost, a small group of another tribe showed up and saved my life." Garson laughed lightly. "They left such a big impression on me, so the first thing I did when I became a merchant was to go trade with them and... they've all taught me a lot."

It was an incredible story, but he didn't have the heart to argue against it.

"... In such circumstances, you could've as well ended up with an opposing opinion of them."

"I know, you don't ever hear people ever say good things about them. But, if they were really that bad, why would they fight their own kind just to save just one kid?"

"... Is this why you wanted me to come?"

Garson slowed down his horse and slowly turned to face Link, his golden eyes were shining with the reflection of the lamp's light. There was again that nibbling feeling on the back of his neck that made Link wary of the young man. Garson smiled patiently, but there a certain cruelty in that passive smile. "I guess I just really like you."

Somehow, those innocent words sent chills down Link's spine.

"Please don't joke around" Link huffed.

"I'm not joking", Garson chuckled, maybe a little anxiously. He shook his head while thinking it for a while. "... I don't know why, but there's something about you that I cannot explain. It's like your presence just draws me into you, like a whirlpool."

"Whirlpools get people killed." he replied dryly before he could take it back.

Garson laughed again, but this time his nervousness was evident. "... I know that. But you're not gonna kill me, are you?"

This wasn't what he intended, but at this point he couldn't tell how much he actually meant to say that. "Of course not."

They safely returned to the caravan camp, not glancing at each other for a single moment as they quietly went to their respective resting places.

Link was not sure what came over to him that night, but it was clear that his relationship with Garson had significantly shifted, and now... he understood it even less.

* * *

Nowadays, entering to Castletown was a hassle, and it was mostly because of the railroad still under construction, so most of the main entrances were heavily guarded, especially since the increase of attacks by the Yiga Clan. You couldn't get into the capital unless you had a permit or were heavily inspected. Sheik and the others had to plan carefully their infiltration by sneaking among the railroad workers.

_So much for a 'Castletown', this is a true metropolis_, Sheik thought as she looked up to the looming towers of Hyrule Castle, looking pristine and glorious even among the rising clouds of the industrial smoke. It was the only place in whole Hyrule with so many factories, last time she was here there weren't half as many. Walls were built tall and their whiteness looked freshly painted, and it seemed like they still liked to use golden painted details for good measure too.

But she wasn't here for a trip down to memory lane, her companions were here to make sure of that. If she were here only to accomplish the mission given to her, she wouldn't need any help. No. Palde and Niumu were only here to keep an eye on her, and they would absolutely love the chance of telling on the Mistress for any insubordination. She knew that much. But they weren't the smartest kids either. That eagerness to please and hunger for praise could be easily exploited if she played her cards right.

It was said that they intended to build it all across the land and connect with every town, but only six towns so far would be lucky enough to come and go in a couple of years. Of course, it started small by building railed trolleys that transported citizens across the immense capital, but it was nothing compared to the years, if not decades, that it'd take to effectively modernize Hyrule. Of course, its construction was greatly facilitated by their access to repurposed ancient technology, but even now it seemed like sheikah engineers haven't fully grasped how to use it to its full potential... and perhaps that was for the best.

Upon looking at the workers, she could spot a few sheikah, their involvement in the modernization of Castletown had been primordial, but even so, they were still very reclusive and it was rare to find their people so far away from home. Vaguely, Sheik wondered if they'd recognize her if she shed her disguise right there. Vaguely, she wondered if She would be around here somewhere continuing her work, if She would come for her.

Sheik tried to shake off these intruding thoughts once she moved along her companions and kept on the look-out for any blunders they might commit. So far, no incidents.

According to the intel she received, the warlock she needed to find would be coming in a caravan with paid escorts, so her best course of action would be to watch over the main and east gate of Castletown and track him. Of course, her idea of splitting with her teammates didn't fare well, so she was forced to have Palde stay with her while Niumu would watch over the main gate. It was more likely that they'd see them come from the east gate, given that the caravan came from Eldin anyway.

She and Palde went to their destination and sat innocuously at a bench next to a small band of bards, for a while she kept paying them five rupees every time a new song started, she had to convince Palde to buy a drink across the street so it wouldn't blow their cover; with any luck, she'd bring something that was actually delicious. They had to move spots after an hour once guards begun to change shifts on the gate.

It was past noon when Sheik saw the guards open way for a caravan and, among them, the one she wanted. Indeed, it was the very same merchant she talked to in New Akkala, riding a large black horse... And behind him there was that blue-eyed knight that she shot down and then knocked out Ashei during battle. Sheik couldn't help but to frown and sigh in frustration.

Perhaps she'd need to not be so soft on him if they really must cross paths again.

"So? That's the one. Let's go." Palde got up from her seat, but Sheik roughly yanked her back in place.

"Do you have a deathwish? We'll follow them from afar and wait for the escorts to be dismissed, idiot" she murmured, as her single eye stared Palde into submission. If anything good came out of her reputation in the Clan was that she could easily strike fear on her own 'allies' with only one glare. Particularly on rookies.

Sheik needed to be careful around them nonetheless, she couldn't blindly assume incompetence from them, not when the Mistress handpicked them to watch over her.

And most importantly, she needed to find out a way to personally speak with that young warlock... and maybe somehow turn the tides to her favor.

* * *

**AN: Going to take a break for a few months, until I finish writing everything.**


	4. Underlain

**Chapter IV. Underlain**

Multitasking wasn't particularly hard for Sheik, but when it came to babysit two rookies that were just eager to go right to the point without preparation was rapidly turning into a headache. She couldn't afford to be breathing under their necks the whole time, but she couldn't even slightly encourage them to disobey her orders either.

On the way to Castletown she had to mentally construct a series of plans and chores that would somehow make sense to them in order to keep them occupied and give her just enough room to act freely. She thought up ways in which they'd need to keep watch on the mercenaries that the caravan hired to protect them, and Sheik would proceed to talk to the young warlock, beguile him into joining them willingly. Sheik made a good case explaining how troublesome would it be to drag a captive man of his size across half of the land, get past monsters and hylian watchmen, and to face the possibility of being overpowered by dark magic. Certainly, Sheik knew many ways to get past all these obstacles, but her teammates didn't need to know that.

They paid for a stance at a small inn close to the industrial zone of Castletown, all three of them brought a small arsenal of tools for their job, along with changes of clothes and make up to blend with the crowds. She also noted how Palde still brought along his apprentice scroll... but she said nothing about it. Sheik had to remember that Palde and Niumu were both still kids after all, just like her. Palde was assertive and scribbled in a notebook when she was alone, Niumu was absent-minded and hummed nursery rhymes when he cleaned his weapons. Sheik knew they were no different from her, but still, for as long as they were here under the Mistress' orders, they were her enemies.

Once Sheik ended explaining their assignments to her companions, they split. She put on a red garb and a very convincing-looking brown wig, along with some make up; some Yiga footsoldiers could use their hidden arts to steal the identity of somebody else, but not everyone was adept to those arts. It was surprising how completely different she could make herself look after years of practicing this art. Still, she could never manage to make her missing eye look authentic... it couldn't be helped, she'd need to use anything at hand to conceal it, so the bandage would have to do for now. Nothing odd about a person recovering from unnamed wounds.

She walked the streets, daring to venture her gaze across the changed citadel, so many places she couldn't recognize yet, others she still did. This was definitely not the first time she's been here; the memories were only faint echoes and only gave her pieces of puzzles, never a whole picture...

She reached her objective at the rear bazaar, where it was more common to find more specific items unlike the food and clothes stalls at the central market. The young merchant was settled at a modest alley across an animal vendor with plenty of living cuccos inside wire cages; Sheik decided to sit idly right next to them. The youth was sitting in a stall with his unusual wares displayed, various tools made of bone and stone. It surely would catch enough curious eyes, Sheik mused. There was already an old man standing right there.

Upon more careful eavesdropping, it didn't seem like a business talk at all. "... Didn't think you'd ever return to this place, young man. Specially after the trouble you've caused last time."

The young merchant had a restrained look on his face. He seemed to take from below his counter a few worn books.

"Here."

"And what are these?" the sagely old man questioned, picking up one of them in confusion.

"The tomes I borrowed before I left. I intended to return them myself to the school's library, but you can take them now if you want. You'll see that they're in good condition too."

"... I should hope this is all because you've given up pursuing the sinister arts, for your own sake." said the old man, taking the books in his arms. The trader only shrugged.

"Think of me as badly as you will, but I don't need to prove anything. Whatever I am and what I do from now and on, it's not your problem anymore." There was thinly veiled spite in his smile, and the old man didn't waste time in turning around to leave with the books. Sheik felt like she just witnessed something very private.

And then the golden eyes of the tall merchant caught sight of her, she tried to not stiffen too much.

"Hey, sorry to make you wait. Can I help you with something...?"

Before she could reply, two armor-clad hylian guards approached the small booth, making themselves look bigger by blocking the young man out of sight. Sheik felt suddenly irritated, slowly getting fed up with people interrupting her.

"Son, do you have permission to sell here?", one of them asked with an excessively authoritative tone, the atmosphere in the alley just became a lot denser, and it forced her to become more invisible for convenience.

"Of course, I'm from the Akkala merchant guild and here's my badge. I presume everything is in order?"

"I'll need to inspect your goods, we've gotten complaints about you selling objects imbued with dark magic, which is outlawed in our region."

"That's just silly, I just got here! These are all just regular goods. I wouldn't dream of using magic to tamper with them!" the youth replied, Sheik could tell there was genuine shock in his voice.

"Was that a confession of practicing dark magic? Son, you might need to come with us." The two guards didn't hesitate to step the booth's boundaries to grab the merchant by his arms. The young man was clearly angry and confused.

"H-hold on! You can't do this! I didn't-!"

Sheik didn't hesitate to act either, having moved along the animal cages. A rough kick scared the poor birds and got them out flying and clucking in panic, feathers flying all over the alley. That's when Sheik decided to yell in high-pitched voice:

"THIEF! Thief! Somebody help!"

This sudden ruckus made the guards jump in surprise, looking back at Sheik who was putting up the performance of her lifetime.

"You two! Why aren't you doing your jobs? I just got mugged! The bastard went that way!" she hysterically cried, pointing towards another direction, and the guards got so nervous and jumbled that they had to let the young merchant alone and submit to the girl's demands. "He was bald, fat, with a mustache and red clothes! Please catch him!" she yelled, even managed to strain her face enough to make it look flustered.

The guards made a run after a man that didn't exist, and she immediately relaxed her features, looking back at the youth. A frightened white cucco landed on top of his head, but he was still too shocked to bother doing something about it.

"I released the cuccos from their cages when nobody was looking. You'll need to set your stall somewhere else." she said. Momentarily, she realized how she broke character, but tried to not dwell too much on it.

The youth sighed in relief. "Thanks, I guess that I owe you one."

"Not yet. They're going to come back as soon as they realize that there's no thief. You can follow me if you want."

Maybe she was being too heavy-handed, but she figured that he wouldn't miss a chance to escape the guards even if he suspected that she had ulterior motives. The young merchant quickly packed his wares at a speed that could only be possible through the use of magic; she was mildly surprised with how reckless he was with it after just being harassed because of it. He carried the heavy bag with him as he tailed after Sheik. She still had a good sense of direction, so no matter how many streets she had to traverse, she had a rough idea of where to walk to get to the spot she wanted.

There was an open public park a few blocks away from the central market, it had an impressive left view of the pristine Hyrule Castle. Sheik recognized the monument standing on top of a garden filled with white and blue flowers. It was a memorial wall made of luminous stone, built for all the people who tragically died the day that the Calamity swoop across the old Castletown hundreds of years ago. The princess that awoke after containing the Calamity for a whole century was the one who commissioned such monument, her last act as a monarch before she decided to give up her right to rule...

As she thought, the young merchant had followed her all the way to this place. And he still had the cucco clinging to his huge backpack. He seemed to be admiring the beauty of the scenery, a faint smile across his lips when he sat on a stone bench close to the memorial. The park was always visited by lots of different people at all times, so the two of them didn't stand out particularly.

"So, why go through the trouble of helping me?" he blurted out, Sheik took the confidence to set on the same bench at a safe distance from him as he pried the cucco off his bag and cradled it in his arms.

"No reason, I just don't like guards." she replied merely to make him lower his guard. It worked. "You see, I wanted to ask... you seemed to know about obscure magic according to that old sage. I'm a journalist that is writing about the subject of the obscure arts and there's precious few sources willing to disclose their secrets."

The youth arched his brows. "Oh, I see. And do I look like such a slack-mouth?... Kidding, I can answer your questions, just as payment for saving my hide."

"Thank you... May I ask your name? Don't worry, I'm not going to divulge it unless you're fine with that."

"... I don't mind. I'm Garson."

She hummed, nodding to herself. It was an interesting name.

"Garson, what can you tell me about the Blood Moon?"

"Just shooting straight for the good stuff, huh?" he chuckled, relaxing a little. "Let's see... everyone knows that the Calamity centuries ago started to use the Blood Moon as a source of power, so every time that there was a lunar eclipse,his fallen servants would rise again from the dead, so it kept happening until the Calamity was defeated. But in recent years, the Blood Moon started to act up again, and not only during lunar eclipses, but also at seemingly random intervals... scholars just say that the Calamity affected permanently the cycles of the moon as we know it, but a few others have the theory that maybe something entirely different that been the causing the curse of the Blood Moon."

"What do they say?"

"Well, some say that it's the collective work of powerful wizards that focus their dark magic during the night. Since most dark magic works at its fullest during nighttime, they concentrate all of their power to make the Blood Moon happen. But, as I said, this is all just a theory. Honestly, if there were enough dark magic practitioners to cause a phenomenon of this magnitude and, goddess forbid, if they were up to no good, then Hyrule would have been wiped out long ago."

Sheik didn't honestly think that he'd be so knowledgeable. Perhaps he had far more uses than she believed. She could see that he had sharp intelligent eyes for his young age.

"You make it sound so evil and scary, yet you're not hiding the fact that you practice dark magic."

Garson shifted uncomfortably, his hand was petting the chicken. "As I said, if there were that many wizards using dark magic to do evil, then Hyrule wouldn't exist anymore. There's this big misconception that dark magic can only be used to cause harm, but not really. When you reduce it to its barest, it's mostly used to bend and break the rules of nature, but one can choose to use it for the benefit of others. And well, it goes without saying, but light magic is kind of terrifying in its own way and in the wrong hands it can be even more dangerous than dark magic... But I think I'm going off-topic now, right?"

"Yeah, I think I know what you mean. You were saying that the Blood Moon couldn't be caused merely by a group of people. Is there another theory regarding its cause?"

"There is a few more, but I think that the least well-known might be linked to some arcane folklore. It was said that a long-vanished tribe crafted an artifact of great magic and malice, that was used to affect the moon in unimaginable ways. The documents of what happened to that tribe of interlopers are so stupidly scarce that it's basically impossible to prove they even existed." The youth sighed in frustration. He seemed particularly upset about this. "Anyways, long story short: people were bad and made the moon do bad things, but nobody remembers anymore, the end."

"To be fair, Hyrule has a notorious history of having many of its historical records wiped again and again, so no wonder only legends hold its weight across time." She couldn't help but to smile with a hint of melancholy. "It's almost as if we're constantly sabotaging ourselves from learning from past mistakes, huh?"

"That's deep", Garson chuckled. "Anyway... no matter what's making the Blood Moon to keep happening, it still affects everyone who uses dark magic. I can feel it too."

Sheik frowned. "What do you feel, exactly?"

"I don't think that describing it will do it justice. It's like... I don't know, having your blood rushing through your veins faster than usual, a bubbling warm sensation. It's like having a little too much sugar at once, but you don't know what to do with all that extra sugar in your body."

"Have you ever taken advantage of the Blood Moon?"

He paused, looking to the skies deep in thought. "... Never really tried it. I'm not even that good at magic, so I haven't considered what I'd do during Blood Moon if I was prepared."

"You're far too modest for a warlock."

"That's because I'm not one. I'm just a humble merchant" he said in a non-humble way.

"Right..." she murmured, noticing that from the distance she could see two familiar disguises. Too soon. It wasn't wise to cut this short, but she couldn't afford to linger too long for them to listen. Sheik only rose from the bench. "Sorry for keeping you."

Garson simply shrugged, petting the cucco's feathers softly. "Not at all, you saved me from those guards... And I need to turn this cucco back, its claws have been clenching on my wrist so hard that I think I'm bleeding. I might need to have it checked."

She really hoped that he was joking, that sounded painful. "You do that. And I hope that you fare well."

When she turned around, her eyes darted back to her fellow disguised clansmen, who already spotted her.

"Should I expect to see you soon?" the youth spoke. For some reason, his words almost startled her. Upon looking back at him, she noticed his eager gaze.

"I'll be, as they say, around the corner" she replied. It technically wasn't a lie.

"Good. Just... please don't cause any trouble this time."

"Can't make any promises."

"Of course you can't..." He nodded. Why did he bore such a knowing stare towards her? Did he see through her? Sheik kept her cool regardless, maybe she was reading too much into this. "Do you have a name?"

"... Maybe you're better off not knowing", she replied cryptically. His eyes kept on scrutinizing her glare all the same. His smile was a little tense.

"I thought so."

She parted ways, as she directed her silent signs to her partners from the distance. It was time to review their plans and shifts. She had other things to do tonight.

* * *

The first thing Link did when he was dismissed by his boss after getting his first payment was to find the closest post office and write a letter to his mother, sending a portion of his earnings to her. She always complained and refused to accept his money when he was getting paid as a guard, but the bright side of using mail was that she couldn't reject the money this way.

He decided to stay at the same inn where the rest of the escorts stayed, it had a decent looking stable and Fien would be comfortable there while he didn't walk her out. He also caught sight of Valo, the black stallion, who stood out like a sore thumb among the normal sized horses. Link tensed at the thought that Garson happened to stay at the very same inn, but he didn't want to switch to a less affordable place just because of some kid.

But that kid, when he took Link to see that hamlet of bokoblins... it made Link feel sick and confused, and his mind hasn't known peace ever since. The night before and after arriving to Castletown, he couldn't bear to sleep. Fleeting images of those who have died by his hand passed through his head and zapped him of his energy and his mind would betray him by worsening every new image that intruded him. He haven't felt this bad this in years.

Years ago his father tried to ease his mind when it came to their duty, and he'd encourage Link to take up other hobbies to fill his mind so there would be no room for guilt. Link learned how to cook from his mother, it helped a bit. Link learned to look after steeds properly, it helped a little more. Link played with the kids and helped with random chores at his neighborhood, it helped him to forget. He had done everything he could to not think about how much it broke him to know how to kill from such an early age.

Yet, none of that wasn't helping him right now. Even then, he knew that he was good at killing bad people and bad things. Now? He wasn't so sure anymore.

He spent a whole day and half locked up in his rented bedroom, rejecting every instance his fellow mercenaries tried to invite him out. He only finally went out when the hunger became too much to bear. While he still had plenty of food packed in his luggage, he couldn't deny that he craved for something fresh... besides he needed to walk poor Fien out. At least it'd take off his mind from all those horrible thoughts.

He took Fien and walked around the vast streets of Castletown, a place that was filled to the brim with people and color, it reminded him of his own town's festival days, except that this is how it was for them every day. It was more candid place than what he expected, having always heard fellow townsfolk talk about how uptight the people from Castletown were, maybe because people were minding their own business or extending common courtesy for the sake of politeness. Nevertheless, it wasn't bad.

As he visited the beautiful gardens of the park, he looked up at the high and majestic towers of the restored Hyrule Castle, looked brighter than last time he's seen it.

He had only come here once when he was still a boy because of his father, because he wanted to show him the great statue of the Hero of Legend inside of the Castle; Link recalled how his father's eyes lit up when speaking about the Hero and his legendary sword, about how he fought bravely to defeat the Calamity and save the fabled Princess Zelda. Everyone who lived in Hyrule knew the story well, but his father always spoke of it with the greatest of regards, as if he was convinced that Link was born to become that Hero. Link had wanted that too, to at least explain that talent for violence that abruptly ended his childhood.

He decided that he wouldn't go visit the Castle again.

By the end of the noon, Link visited a couple of stalls on the market to buy fresh vegetables, meat and herbs with some oil, feeling like he'd cook something outside the of the inn since the kitchen wasn't open for guests. The crowded ambient made Fien a little nervous, but he made sure to reward her with some carrots at the end of their stroll, she was always a sweet girl.

When he returned Fien to the horse stable, Link prepared himself a steak with herbs and grilled vegetables and drunk some water from the inn's well, the pleasant weight of the dinner on his belly soothed him from intruding thoughts for a good while. He was also left alone when eating outside, so he didn't worry about cooking more.

But after he was finished, somebody approached his personal space. It was the Happy Mask Salesman. Did he wait until Link was finished to come talk to him?

"May I ask for your assistance?" said the man, he had an unyielding smile on his pale face. Link could already hear Garson's voice calling it creepy, but he couldn't detect any sort of ill-will from the man. "It's not a big deal, I just need some heavy crates moved around my shop. And of course, I'll reward you."

Maybe just a force of habit, but Link didn't think much when he accepted to take up that job offer. He wasn't doing much in this free time anyway, and he'd be in Castletown for about another week until the second part of his escorting gig was finished.

After being done putting away his purchase at the inn, Link followed the mysterious man to a hoodlum the outskirts of the town, where the walls stood tall and travelers came in and out of the gates. They arrived to a small place with a quaint old sign that read 'Happy Mask Shop'. There was a strange air about it that Link couldn't quite put his finger on, because the shop itself would stand out like a sore thumb because of its different architecture compared to the houses on its sides, yet he was only able to notice it once the mysterious man stood in front of its door and opened it, triggering the soft sound of a little bell at the entrance.

He welcomed Link inside, the store wasn't very well lit, but it has a distinct smell of spice and sawdust, like some sort of workshop. There were crates of many sizes piled up against its walls, they were taking up so much space that it was almost claustrophobic to walk inside the place. "I am going to need you to help me bring all these boxes down to my basement, if you will. Unfortunately I can only carry the smaller ones, but you look like you can handle the big ones without much trouble, is that right?"

Link merely nodded, as he watched the nameless man pick up a couple of boxes and walk deeper into his shop, revealing a staircase that led below the wooden floorboards. Link found the closest crate he had and carefully picked it up; it weighed as much as a little kid. Going downstairs was a little dangerous because of the darkness, fortunately, the man lit up a few lanterns below for him. "Yes, just leave it on the left side of the room." Link complied, and so he went on, bringing down box after heavy box downstairs until the shop on the main floor started to look more presentable. The man offered to make some tea for when Link was done, and he gingerly accepted.

After he finally brought the last of them to the basement, he started to notice the things hanging on that space. As suspected, there was a small workshop on the bottom corner at the right, it was covered with a thick layer of dust, as if it hadn't seen much use in years. Otherwise, all its tools seemed to be in proper order. Link's eyes fixed on the side of the table, there was a washed out framed pictograph, but he could make out the face of the mysterious man, he was smiling next to a woman that seemed to be of his age and with a little girl in their arms.

Immediately, he looked at his side where a stained glass showcase stood. There was a small wooden box inside with a visible keyhole meant to open it. Suddenly, Link felt a surge of uneasiness pooling down in his stomach, as if all the blood left his face in one second. It was as if some primal fear awakened inside of him, as if whatever was inside that case was silently threatening him in ways his mind couldn't yet comprehend.

He could almost swear that it beckoned his name.

"You can feel it too, don't you?" the man said, his sudden appearance made Link's heart nearly jump out of his chest.

"W-what?"

The man had lost his smile, approaching that showcase in steps almost too small. "That residual dark power that permeates this box. It still lingers there, but not as the whole it once was." As he took out the box, Link walked a few cautious steps back, as if whatever was inside that box would lunge at him any time. "I had it stored a long time ago, contained it until I could find the way to destroy it. But alas, I could only manage to crack it into pieces. Only this remains."

The box was opened and Link braced himself until he saw what was inside.

It was a piece of pained wood. No, more like a fragment of a vase or something of the sort. However, as innocuous as it seemed, Link could still sense that terrible energy, unequivocally coming from that strange shard. Now that his mind gave this object a shape, it was clear to Link that he'd be out of danger as long as he didn't touch that broken piece of power.

"What happened to the missing pieces?" he murmured.

Closing the box quickly with key, the Mask Salesman put it back. "I hid those fragments as best as I could since it was clear they weren't safe under my protection. Had the mask been taken as a whole, I don't think you and I would be standing here alive today."

"Why are you showing me this?" Link asked. The mysterious man again managed to smile as normal.

"You looked like a trustworthy fellow. And... you reminded me of an old friend." There was a hint of a melancholy in that smile. "Something big is about to happen, and whatever it is, it's been drawing you in. I know you've been feeling it recently, that tug that made you abandon your old routine and brought you here. What do you think it is, young man?"

"... No idea." Link had no idea how to convey his thoughts, the man wasn't wrong in the slightest about him. What else did he know? Who was he?

The nameless man simply nodded and returned upstairs, where a distinct smell of cinnamon and orange filled the air. The tea was probably ready. Link followed, not wanting to spend any other minute near that box anymore.

The place wasn't much of a shop than it was a house's living room, the masks that were decorating the walls and furniture were surprisingly scarce. The man was standing in front of a stove where he heated a pot with the tea, he signaled Link to sit on the closes chair as he handed him a cup with the hot beverage. Link was no longer comfortable in presence of this strange man, but he was still curious about what he said earlier. If everything he said was true and Link was indeed in this place for a concrete purpose, he wanted at least to understand as much as possible.

"... I always spend long periods of time outside of Hyrule, traveling, to the point in which every time I return, I can barely recognize it. Yet the landmarks of my past still remain somehow no matter how much time passes by" he said, staring wistfully at his own cup of tea as he sat down in front of Link. "I'm afraid that time itself must have eroded the secrets that I buried so deep, and now I have to once again find them just to bury them deeper still. I can't afford more of _it_ falling into the wrong hands."

"So, you mean to say that you think somebody has found the pieces of that mask."

"I _know_ somebody has already found pieces of that mask, and whoever it is, they must have figured how to exploit its power to an extent." He looked deceitfully serene about this, but Link could read the strain in his hands."I know it's too much to ask of one man, so I'm willing to pay you with whatever you want if you're up to the task of helping me find them."

Link shifted uncomfortably on the chair, putting down his cup of tea.

"You barely know me, why would you want to entrust me with this sort of quest?"

"Oh? Then was I wrong to assume you wouldn't turn down your help to those who need it in times of crisis?" Link shut his eyelids for a moment. The words were sinking into him like needles of truth, was he truly so transparent? "I could see it in your eyes. You're the one who cannot bear to stand still while the world is at peril. You've been waiting for such a call your whole life, but you feel like you haven't done enough to fulfill your purpose as a 'hero'. You have the heart of a hero, do you not?"

It caused him pain to hear it. He wanted this, more than anything in this world. The man was completely right about it, yet Link couldn't stop feeling so heavy, couldn't stop hating himself for wanting to accept, for wanting this validation. He could be a 'hero'. He could realize his purpose. He could finally be more than just a killer.

But would that be alright? Would taking in this quest to possibly save Hyrule from evil truly cleanse him of all his sins? Could he truly be free?

"... I need time to think about it." he murmured hesitantly, fighting back the water from his eyes.

The Happy Mask Salesman showed him a patient smile.

"Well, just don't take too long. You'll find me right here."

* * *

It was nighttime already, Link noticed somebody in the distance who started to walk away as soon as he stepped out of the Happy Mask Shop. Maybe it was only his intuition, but in spite of self-deprecating himself for being paranoid, he couldn't help himself when he felt something off about the people or his surroundings. It was just an ordinary-looking brown-haired woman, she wasn't even trying to conceal the bandage covering her left eye, otherwise it'd surely look more suspicious.

A small image from months ago flashed on the back of his head, the persecution at the beginning of the Harvest Festival, the Yiga women in the car with the children, the woman in blue who shot him down, the brief second in which he saw her face below her hair bangs... she only had her right eye.

She changed her hair and clothes, but Link was almost sure: she had to be the exact same woman. Had she been spying on him? Was he now targeted by the Yiga? The timing was nearly impeccable if that was the case. He cautiously watched her distance herself in complete calm just to not rise anyone's suspicion, and Link waited, walking as casually as he possibly could, trying to not advert her of him.

It was at this time in which the street lamps were lit around town, so he couldn't really stalk her from the shadows. So far she didn't move too far or unpredictably to make him lose her trail, but Link couldn't be too cautious. He always carried with him any sort of weapon out of sheer force of habit, he only had a small sword sheathed at his hip and his leather sling with a few rocks in his pouch. He could manage with less than this, but he wouldn't push his luck.

The transit of people was considerable still during the night in the shopping zones, but the side streets were quieter, darker, only few people still walked there at and guards weren't making rounds in those places either. Link still followed the woman as she turned from block to block until he began to realize that she was wandering in circles. She wound up in a closed alley next to a portentous-looking bar where he could hear people drunkenly fighting through the windows.

"Just knock it off already, I know you've been following me for a while." The young woman turned around, her only eye bearing an impassive glare. "State your business."

Link stood his ground. He knew from the start what was coming ."I know you're from Yiga. Whatever you're planning to do, you'll have to deal with me first."

He noticed how deeply she sighed, as if he was simply a nuisance. She had guts.

"I don't feel like fighting right now, besides... you're leagues beneath me. Leave now, then maybe I'll forgive your life."

He wasn't going to let her get away. He was still reeling with the thought of bloodletting so soon after dreading over it, but she was definitely a threat, even more so after she spied on him when he was at the Happy Mask Shop. There was no nuance when it came to the Yiga, so he was ready to bury his heart if he needed to wield his blade against them.

As he quickly drew his sword, in what felt like a flash of light, the woman leapt at him, kicking his hand off the sword's pommel, a second kick at his stomach pushed him on his lower back to the ground. So she wasn't just a good marksman, she was also a great fighter, he mused in annoyance.

He rolled behind to find his sword again, but she was moving so fast, she jumped almost like a grasshopper. Another kick landed this time on his face, the flavor of blood exploded in his mouth. When he collapsed again on the ground, the weight of her foot landed on his wrist as he tried to scramble for his blade. He coughed up blood as he attempted to remove her foot pinning his arm down.

Link expected her to kick him again as he was on the ground, so when she did, he was ready to catch her ankle. The woman grunted in shock, and thus Link used all of his strength to pull her leg and make her fall, and thus she landed roughly to his side. He kicked the ground to get his body up, he stretched his arm out towards his sword once more...

His fingers barely grazed the iron pommel of his weapon when he was suddenly lifted from the ground from the leather straps of his clothes, but he flung his fist back, grabbing back at her wrist, and then pulling her close enough for him to headbutt her. She cried in pain but didn't do as much as to wince, he was pretty sure he should've broken her nose. Link attempted to grapple her to the ground once more, but she wasn't budging, her strength was at least as big as his. The next thing he attempted was to grab her hair... which turned out to be a wig. Her hair was actually white, not brown, but that's all he saw after making that mistake.

The woman punched his chest hard enough to make him turn, and before he could react, she moved behind him and her strong arms locked around his torso. Link was unable to understand what was going on until she pulled his entire weight over her smaller body, making him land on his head on the other side. The shock of that movement's force momentarily disoriented him, his limbs were having trouble following his instructions and he could only helplessly drag his body while the woman was again walking over him.

Link wanted to get up to fight back, but he was kicked again so he was forced on his back. She was standing on top of him, looking down at him as if he were nothing more than an insect. At this moment, he was feeling much like one. Still, he wrung out enough strength to grab her ankle again, even though that was all he could do.

She pulled out of her clothes a sharp-looking dagger, so curvy and shiny, it looked like it'd cut flesh like butter.

"Just give it up. Do you want to die that badly?" she spoke coldly, there was something so haunting about her bloodied face and single red eye looking down at him. On top of that... she looked much younger now that he observed closely. Even younger than Garson.

Why was someone so young fighting for the Yiga?

He groaned, one last attempt to move, but to no avail. Her knee fell to his chest, pinning him effectively to the ground as her dagger was closing in to his face. His hands with the last of his will power grabbed her wrists to stop that knife from ending his life. She was eyeing him curiously as he struggled to contain her arms, as if she wasn't even focused on killing him... or even him for that matter.

She was looking at something else. His hands? Was she looking at his hands?

"What is this...?" she muttered, slowly the force she applied to her arms lessened. Link was confused. The curiosity in her eye transformed into suspicion. "What is your name?"

There was no killing intent in her voice, no cruelty. Her arms had stopped pushing the dagger towards him, and he cautiously lessened his grip on her wrists. But still, he felt confused. What compelled her to ask that?

"... Link."

She removed herself off him, but she never stopped glaring. Her expression was conflicted, almost... regretful. For a moment, he didn't dare moving.

"Pray that you don't get in my way again, Link. You may not fare as well as you did today."

With that, the girl disappeared in a flash of red smoke, leaving no trace behind other than the wig.

Link closed his eyes and sighed through his blood-caked lips, still didn't dare to move for quite a while, trying to digest what just happened. She could've killed him right there, very easily, but for some reason he was spared.

He tried to wipe the blood and sweat off his face with his left hand. He didn't notice that his gauntlet was broken... For some reason, she had been staring directly at his hands before she seemed to have a change of heart. He examined the back of his hand for a second. It couldn't be that the burn mark on his hand was truly that interesting, could it?

Or perhaps it was something else entirely. Anyways, if he truly was the 'hero' that the Happy Mask Salesman thought him to be, this alley fight was possibly the worst demonstration of it he could think of.

With his pride wounded, he managed to get back up before any drunkard nearby tried to mug him.

* * *

**A/N: It's not a real fight until someone's wig gets snatched and other gets supplexed.**


End file.
